II. THE PROGRAMME "STARTING AFRESH FROM CHRIST WITH MARY" AND THE INDICATIONS OF FIVE ECCLESIAL DOCUMENTS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM

1.  The indications of the Apostolic Letter "Novo millennium ineunte"  (January 16, 2001)

                The Apostolic Letter published in the first week of the new millennium has an introduction (nn. 1-3), a conclusion (nn. 58-59) and four chapters.

                The first chapter, entitled "Meeting Christ the Legacy of the Great Jubilee" (nn. 4-15), is a certain type of balance of the principal events of the Jubilee Year. Chapter II, entitled "A Face to Contemplate" (nn. 16-28) traces the Face of Christ, designed, above all, with some Christological relevant data from the Gospel. By means of 41 quotations from the Gospels, 14 quotations from other New Testament writings and 3 from the Psalms, is presented the Face which every Christian should contemplate and take as a secure foundation manifested in his starting afresh in the new millennium. Chapter III, entitled  "Starting Afresh from Christ" (nn. 29-41), is, in a certain sense, the most representative in the document. It proposes again and explains, in a Christiological aspect, the programme of consecrated life, that is, the programme of Baptismal sanctity in Christ which all the faithful have to live with coherence in their daily lives.  Sanctity is described in that chapter as a Christological gift and as an ecclesial task or commitment of every Christian.  The subtitles of the different sections of the chapter are very significant: "holiness"; "prayer"; "the Sunday Eucharist"; "the Sacrament of Reconciliation"; "the primacy of grace"; "Listening to the Word"; "proclaiming the Word".  Chapter IV entitled: "Witnesses to Love" (nn. 42-57) reaffirms the need of giving a fervent witness of communion and describes the other commitments and challenges which the faithful have to face at the beginning of the new millennium.

                Acknowledging the richness and the novelty of the texts of the Council, the Pope stresses that it is necessary that such texts  "be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart as important and normative texts of the Magisterium"  (NMI 57)

                In his Letter, nevertheless, the Pope did not want to retake and explain again all the value of the Conciliar texts.  He neither did it concerning the content of chapter IV (on religious) of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium  nor with the content of chapter VIII (on the Blessed Virgin Mary) of that same constitution. "I have no hesitation in saying that all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness... It is necessary therefore to rediscover the full practical significance of Chapter 5 of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium dedicated to the 'universal call to holiness'" (NMI 30).

                The indications of chapter III concerning the programme "Starting afresh from Christ" explain well to all Christians the obligations of the programme of the holiness of Baptism.  They stress the need  not to be satisfied  "to settle for a life of mediocrity, marked by a minimalist ethic and a shallow religiosity"  (NMI 31) and the duty of living   the high standard"  (NMI 31) of Christian life.  Therefore, the duty of every Christian to attain a high standard of coherence and of fidelity to the holy promises of Baptism is given the first place.

                It is clear that the duty of coherence with the norms of the common precepts of Christian life, that is the "high standard", rather the full measure, of the observance of the precepts of the Lord, also applies to consecrated persons. But the duty of coherence with the requirements of religious profession is another thing.  In fact, the profession of the evangelical counsels does not form part of the "high standard" of coherence with the requirements or demands of Baptism or of fidelity to the precepts of Christ. The living out of the commitment of the evangelical counsels goes "beyond the ordinary demands of the precept" (LG 42) and it is not a necessary consequence of Baptism (cfr. VC 30.)

                On the other hand, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ, is not mentioned not even once, neither in the numbers of the introduction nor in those of the body of the document, that is, in the text of the four chapters.  Only about twelve lines are dedicated to the Virgin Mary in two numbers of the conclusion. In those lines it is indicated, in a very concrete concise way, that the Church has to walk in the new millennium with Mary, her Mother: "On this journey we are accompanied by the Blessed Virgin Mary ... as the radiant dawn and sure guide of our steps" (NMI 58). This means, in last instance, that at the beginning of the new millennium it is necessary to "start afresh from Christ with Mary".   

                In spite of this, the element "with Mary" has never been taken into consideration in the body of the document. Consequently, and "a fortiori", no reference is made to the specific programme of conforming to the Virgin Mary, a programme to which consecrated persons should dedicate themselves with renewed impulse during the new millennium.